Remember when everyone LOVED Roman Reigns?

[Sephiroth]

Hard as it may be to believe, there was a time where wrestling fandom was on fire for the guy. As the powerhouse if the Shield, it seemed certain there was no way he couldn't be destined for greatness. Everyone swooned over the image if him in a loincloth and couldn't stop speculating about what kind of programs and feuds he would be put in once he struck out in his own. Then the Shield broke up and...yeah.

[Crappler El 0 M]

No.

[Deleted]

If they'd kept booking him the way he was in the Shield, rather than trying to turn him into Samoan Cena and putting him in a godawful feud with the Big Show, he still would've had a lot of support.

[gr1990]

Shield Roman Reigns WAS awesome, I don't think anybody's disputing that. He's an awesome tag team wrestler, but to me it feels like if they'd decided Smash from Demolition should win the title at Wrestlemania 4 instead of Savage. He only works as part of a greater whole, and the fact that he's been stuck wearing his Shield gear and coming out to their music through the crowd while Ambrose and Rollins have evolved their own looks and personas further exacerbates it. A year on the undercard learning how to put on a lengthy singles match, finding out what worked for him character-wise etc. and none of this hate would be happening. It's just crazy that someone who is literally brand new to wrestling for 20 minutes solid and was having his character re-imagined almost every week as recently as January has been chosen to form one half of the biggest match of the year.

[Dean-o]

I did, until Daniel Bryan came back.

[Kevin Hamilton]

It wasn't all at once though. I'm a guy on record as calling him the future, but the past six months, they've really done him no favors at all.

Hell, the last year or so, dating back to his injury has just really derailed any sort of ascent he could've had. He's got the momentum of a tortoise slogging through molasses at this point; and very, very little of it is his fault.

[Widow's Peak]

*pfft* Next you'll tell me there was a time when everyone loved John Cena.

[machomuta]

Not really.

I never liked him.

[Grayson]

It's kinda more like - Remember when everyone LOVED The Shield

[Allie Kitsune]

Mar 12, 2015 18:40:30 GMT -5 Sephiroth said:

Hard as it may be to believe, there was a time where wrestling fandom was on fire for the guy. As the powerhouse if the Shield, it seemed certain there was no way he couldn't be destined for greatness. Everyone swooned over the image if him in a loincloth and couldn't stop speculating about what kind of programs and feuds he would be put in once he struck out in his own. Then the Shield broke up and...yeah.

Remember when he wasn't standing in Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler's way and wasn't Vince's personal "F*** YOU!" to Bryan fans?

[DSR]

Didn't we just have this thread, like, a week ago?

[Sephiroth]

Mar 12, 2015 18:56:29 GMT -5 Widow's Peak said:

*pfft* Next you'll tell me there was a time when everyone loved John Cena.

Nah. First I'd tell you that Rellik is killer spelled backwards.

[01010010 01101001 01100011]

Everyone? No, not even close. I remember a lot of people, myself included, that thought (and still do) he could be a huge star if they didn't f*** him up.


Guess what happened though...

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

I thought he would make a great champion if he had the chance to get some seasoning as a singles guy, and maybe some of Rollins and Ambrose's ring work rubbed off him.

But he's still at the same skill level that he was when the Shield started, and his push came at the expense of three guys who are ready right now (Bryan, Ziggler, Ambrose), to take that brass ring that Vince lied about on that podcast.

That is why Philly booed him out of the building at the Rumble, and why his reactions at TV have been middling at best since. Until he starts have tangible results with guys that can't carry a broomstick (and even failing with a guy like Rollins), he's still going to get booed at every major market, and even some of the lesser markets.

[Fearless The Tank]

All he needs is a heel turn and a chance to show some character. I guarantee you if he didn't have the restrictions of being the hand picked face, and can go all out as being the hand picked heel, he would be entertaining. Let him go full on Corporate champ Rock with the Authority, I'd even say do a double turn with Reigns and Rollins (even though Rollins is excellent as a heel)

[Hit Girl]

I always said he was best served as the silent muscle.

[Dave the Dave]

If I don't count in “everyone" then sure

[Deleted]

I really don't remember that at all.

[Adam Black]

Shield Reigns was awesome but even then his single matches sucked which kinda bothered me cause I knew someday it would backfire. It f***ing did.

[FAR5222]

No. Those that saw his weaknesses kept quite because he was in The Shield and his weaknesses were hidden to where the dude just hit punch/clothesline and spear for the finish. The apron drop kick debuted in November 2013 and he kept abusing the crap out of that move. The Shield collectively were awesome and that's where it stops. Like Reigns said The Shield was a Godsend.